Born to Lead
This is Steven Petrick Posting:
Some people are better at command than others.
At one point during my attendance at my Summer Advanced Camp, I got tapped to be "the radioman". I wound up carrying the PRC-77 radio all that day, and as a result was always right next to the cadet who was tapped for the leadership task. Several of my fellow cadets were cycled through the leadership position as the unit traveled (by foot) from place to place on Fort Bragg. Nearly the entire day was consumed with this iteration.
Being right there, whenever someone was placed in charge, I was always offering advice. Reminding them of things they needed to do. Suggesting courses of action, but being a "follower" and not the leader, letting them make their decisions (even if I did try to influence some of the choices).
In most of the cases, the Cadet who had been temporarily in charge thanked me after-wards. My advice was usually perceived as good (at least the instructors never dinged one of the cadet leaders as result of something I advised them to do).
There was an exception. This was the guy that was "better at command" than others. The last cadet selected to lead for the day did EVERYTHING. There was literally never a case when I saw an opportunity to make a suggestion (i.e., felt that perhaps he needed the advice). I was literally myself very impressed and wanted to be with this guy. He was going to be a great infantry officer (all of the tasks were basically Infantry oriented movements and missions).
But he did not want to be in the Infantry, he was branched Transportation Corps (the branch he wanted).
I do not remember his name any more (I do not remember the names of most of the people who were in my Cadet Platoon that Summer of 78). But he was truly the most together guy in that kind of field situation (admittedly, we were not in "real combat") I ever met among my fellow cadets.
He was truly born to command. Given the choice between following me and following him, I would tell people to follow me . . . and then I would follow him.
Some people are better at command than others.
At one point during my attendance at my Summer Advanced Camp, I got tapped to be "the radioman". I wound up carrying the PRC-77 radio all that day, and as a result was always right next to the cadet who was tapped for the leadership task. Several of my fellow cadets were cycled through the leadership position as the unit traveled (by foot) from place to place on Fort Bragg. Nearly the entire day was consumed with this iteration.
Being right there, whenever someone was placed in charge, I was always offering advice. Reminding them of things they needed to do. Suggesting courses of action, but being a "follower" and not the leader, letting them make their decisions (even if I did try to influence some of the choices).
In most of the cases, the Cadet who had been temporarily in charge thanked me after-wards. My advice was usually perceived as good (at least the instructors never dinged one of the cadet leaders as result of something I advised them to do).
There was an exception. This was the guy that was "better at command" than others. The last cadet selected to lead for the day did EVERYTHING. There was literally never a case when I saw an opportunity to make a suggestion (i.e., felt that perhaps he needed the advice). I was literally myself very impressed and wanted to be with this guy. He was going to be a great infantry officer (all of the tasks were basically Infantry oriented movements and missions).
But he did not want to be in the Infantry, he was branched Transportation Corps (the branch he wanted).
I do not remember his name any more (I do not remember the names of most of the people who were in my Cadet Platoon that Summer of 78). But he was truly the most together guy in that kind of field situation (admittedly, we were not in "real combat") I ever met among my fellow cadets.
He was truly born to command. Given the choice between following me and following him, I would tell people to follow me . . . and then I would follow him.
posted by Federation Commander at 5:25 PM
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